Chinese 327

Representations of the Cultural Revolution

Full course for one semester. The Cultural Revolution (1966–76), the longest single political crisis in recent Chinese history, has been amply represented, even in English, by its victims, critics, and contemporary eulogists in various forms of expression, including official and unofficial historiography, personal memoirs, fiction, cinema, visual arts, and icons turned into memorabilia. Using selected texts and items from these different genres, the course explores representation, memory, reality, genre, sign, and interpretation. Although much of the material is sociopolitically oriented, the focus of the course is within the realm of literary and cultural criticism. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Lecture-conference. Not offered 2006-07.